


I Didn't Mean To

by ugandadistrict9



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien-centric, Canon Divergence, Episode: s02 Le Hibou Noir | Dark Owl, F/M, I wrote this before glaciator came out so now it is lol rip, Identity Reveal, Season 2 spoilers, i love this boy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-02-28 07:42:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13266849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ugandadistrict9/pseuds/ugandadistrict9
Summary: In which Chat Noir finds out Ladybug's identity by accident. Another reveal fic.





	I Didn't Mean To

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a long time ago like right after Hibou Noir came out but then i didnt finish because i got sucked into ddadds h*ck... this contains my hot take on the balcony scene before it happened also im not super sure of it anymore now that the new episodes are out and have retconned my idea but like ... i already wrote this whole long thing so it's getting posted anyway cause im sure at least someone will like it. the title and description suck but yadda yadda whatever here it is enjoy

“I know who Ladybug is,” Plagg had said one day when Adrien detransformed after an akuma attack.

 

It threw him completely off guard. “What?” he sputtered.

 

“Ladybug, I saw who Ladybug is when you two had to detranform up against Mr. Damocles.”

 

“Plagg!”

 

“Hm?”

 

“Don't tell me, it's supposed to be secret.”

 

“Don't worry, I wasn't going to, I was just teasing you.” Plagg had crossed his tiny arms, and the conversation had ended like that.

 

Adrien was baffled. He wondered why Plagg had even brought it up. He did want to know. He almost asked. He was sure that if he asked, Plagg really would tell him. But he decided against it. Ladybug valued honesty, and he had nothing but respect for her. That day he vowed not to find out her secret until she told him herself.

 

***

 

“Adrien?” Plagg asked one evening as he was sitting, nestled in the boy’s blond hair as he played video games on his PS4.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Why haven't you asked me who Ladybug is yet? Don't you remember I know who Ladybug is?”

 

Adrien sighed. This again? “Because I don't want to know, Plagg.”

 

“Whaaaaat?” Plagg rolled around, ruffling Adrien’s hair. “You used to want to know so badly. You must still want to know. Are you lying to me?”

 

He didn't respond for a while, since the game was online and he couldn't pause, and he didn't want to get distracted by Plagg’s silliness. He finished the round he was playing, then set the controller down, sighing again.

 

Obviously Adrien wanted to know who Ladybug was. But it was a matter of respect. Ladybug wanted to keep their identities secret. She’d made him close his eyes, and as much as it made him feel sad, he respected her. To have peeked would have been disrespectful of her wishes.

 

“I do want to know,” he admitted. “But I don't. You can't tell me.”

 

“That doesn't make any sense,” Plagg complained, flying down to talk to Adrien face to face.

 

“No, I guess not. It's hard to explain. She doesn't want me to know.”

 

“You had a chart and everything, though, you've tried hard to find out, I know you really want to know-”

 

“I know! I do! I really really do! She's the love of my life, of course I want to know, but it's not right this way. I can't find out through snooping around. She’d be upset, Plagg.”

 

“Hmmm.”

 

“I know it sucks, but that's just how it is right now. One day I'll find out. But not today. Please, please, don't tell me. I don't want to know yet.”

 

Plagg didn't really seem like he liked that response, but he must've understood, as he didn't ask again. He curled back up on top of Adrien, giving him a soft pat on the head. Adrien could scarcely feel it, but it was there. He smiled, returning to his video game. It felt good to know that the kwami understood.

 

***

 

However, as much as Adrien had made up his mind that he didn't want to know who Ladybug was, nothing was going to stop the universe from letting him in on the secret he wished so hard to avoid.

 

Because he did still want to know. Deep down, he wanted to know. Badly. Of course he did. She was his partner, his crush, his lady. She was amazing. He wanted to know her so bad. He wanted to know every part of her. But he forced himself to wait. He knew Plagg knew, and it bugged him, but he refused to let the kwami tell him her secret, try as he might.

 

He wasn't thinking about theories on which people he saw in the street could be Ladybug anymore; he wasn't religiously watching Alya’s blog for new information. All of that was silly, childish. He was acting grown up about this now. If Ladybug didn’t want him to know, then he didn’t get to know. Simple as that.

 

Unfortunately, the fact that he was trying _not_ to discover Ladybug’s identity ended up leading him right to it, because the universe liked to work that way. As soon as you don't want something to happen, it will happen. So, naturally, as soon as Adrien had resigned himself to maybe never knowing who Ladybug was, the truth just came to him, unprompted.

 

“Plagg!” Adrien dropped his school bag on the floor, unceremoniously flopping face first down on his bed, rather than going to the couch where he normally chose to relax after school on days he was free. “Pla-a-a-agg!” he wailed

 

“Hmm? What's up?”

 

“I know who Ladybug is.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“This is terrible, I wasn't supposed to know.”

 

Plagg flew closer to Adrien. “How do you know?”

 

“I figured it out today. When I went for lunch with Marinette. I didn't mean to. It was just so unmistakable. I feel like I know something I shouldn't, and it's making me feel terrible.”

 

“Marinette?”

 

Adrien sat up to look at Plagg, a glimmer of hope appearing. “Am I wrong? It’s not Marinette?”

 

Plagg laughed awkwardly, visibly nervous. “Well…. y-you told me not to tell you, didn't you? Haha...”

 

“Well, you could tell me that I'm wrong.”

 

“Uhhhhhh…”

 

That was all Adrien needed to hear. He groaned, flopping back down on the bed.

 

Plagg didn’t know what to tell him. “Shouldn't you be happy?” he asked tentatively.

 

“Ugh, no, I,” Adrien frowned, “I mean, I should be happy. I am kinda happy. Marinette is a great person and I'm so relieved and so glad that it's her. Fuck, I love her so much. I am happy, Plagg.” But he didn't smile, and he didn't sound happy at all. Plagg frowned. “But it's a secret. I'm not supposed to know. It feels wrong to know, it, it feels…” he hesitated, gesturing with his hands as he looked for the right word. “Dirty,” he said, bringing his hands down to cover his face.

 

Plagg flew to him, landing on his knee. “How did you even find out?”

 

“I just-” Adrien sighed. “I’ve been becoming better friends with her lately, cause I've always thought she was really amazing from the first day I met her. I remembered that she said she liked couscous, and I just was like, let's invite Mari for lunch, and I did, and she completely freaked out, she was so happy. It made me … really happy.” Adrien finally smiled, and Plagg sighed with relief. “So we went for lunch, as you should know, you were there.” Adrien poked Plagg. “And at lunch, we talked, and she is so cute and although she’s really shy, her mannerisms are just unmistakable. I wasn't thinking about Ladybug at all, I didn't care who she was, I stopped wanting to know, I was focusing on my friend, and then all of a sudden it just hit me. I was like, Marinette is Ladybug. I don't even know how I figured it out. I just… As the lunch progressed, she got more comfortable, and she started making jokes with me, and I laughed, and she laughed, I looked in her eyes, and it just all made sense. She doesn't even change her hairstyle when she's Ladybug! Once I thought it, I couldn't stop thinking it, and I just knew it was true. It makes sense. She’s creative, and strong, and funny, and brave, and confident, and talented, and-and she has those round earrings that are solid white, just like my ring when it's not activated!”

 

“Wow. I'm impressed,” said Plagg. “But you sound pretty happy for someone who was claiming to be in complete despair.”

 

Adrien sighed. “I am happy. I just wish she could have told me herself. I’m conflicted.”

 

“I get it. But you haven't done anything wrong.”

 

“I know…”

 

“So you shouldn't feel bad.”

 

Adrien smiled. His kwami could be nice sometimes.

 

“Thank you, Plagg.” Adrien still felt guilty for knowing Marinette’s secret, but Plagg was right. He shouldn't be beating himself up when he hadn't really done anything wrong. He sat up and grabbed his homework. He’d have some time to work all this out with Ladybug, and for now he had some more important Adrien stuff to take care of.

 

***

 

He decided to act like nothing was different around both Ladybug, and Marinette. It wasn't hard to act normal, but it was sort of hard to deal with the conflict in their personalities around him. It was a couple nights after his discovery, after a few patrols with Ladybug, that the way she acted around his alter ego really started to bug him.

 

“Why doesn't she like Chat Noir me?” he asked, not really to anyone in particular. “She really likes Adrien me. What's wrong with Chat Noir me? I'm the same person, aren't I? Aren't I!?”

 

“....Are you talking to me?” Plagg asked from where he sat, on Adrien’s computer desk, munching on a platter of various cheeses that Adrien had gotten for him. The platter was better because it contained cheeses that Adrien actually liked, as well as Plagg’s favourites. The kwami looked over at the melodramatic teen sprawled across the couch, and he shook his head.

 

Adrien sighed. “Kind of. I don't know. Doesn't matter. I'm just frustrated. Why doesn't Marinette seem to like me as Chat Noir?” Adrien stood, and paced towards his mirror, looking at his reflection. “Is there something wrong with me?” He touched the mirror. “I feel like as Chat Noir, I really get the freedom to be myself. I'm not allowed to be myself like this. My dad makes me do all these things and I have to always be polite, and quiet, and complacent, but Chat Noir gives me the freedom to be … the real me.” He took his hand off the mirror, turning back to Plagg. “And then some, I guess,” he said.

 

“You act like yourself around Marinette, I think,” Plagg said. “Chat Noir is just a _bit_ over-exaggerated.”

 

Adrien exhaled loudly. “Yeah, you're right. I'm just overthinking. I act pretty over the top as Chat ‘cause I never get to have fun as myself. But what if I'm driving her away with that?”

 

“She already likes you, you know. You're fine.”

 

“I know she really likes me, but I want her to like all of me. And I'm scared that she doesn't.”

 

“Well, then make her like you.”

 

“Make her? No, Marinette’s not really like that. She values authenticity, and honesty. I can't change the way she thinks. I can easily flirt as Chat Noir and civilians seem to get a kick out of it, but Marinette has always been different. She pretended to be a fan of me a few times but it was obviously a bluff. She’s my partner and she finds me silly. And she already likes me.”

 

“Then what's the problem again, kid?” Plagg rolled his eyes.

 

“Well, she likes me, but in a weird way. She seems to think I'm cute maybe? But in the goofy way. She teases me when we work together as partners but she rolls her eyes at my advances. Does she just think I'm joking? Maybe it's because I kinda tend to flirt with everyone as Chat. I haven't been recently but I guess she's seen me do it firsthand, to her as Marinette. Ugh, Plagg, what's wrong with me, now she thinks I'm not loyal. Maybe I should tell her?”

 

“Adrien, please, you're really blowing this out of proportion. This is why I prefer cheese over people.”

 

“Ugh, I know, I know. You're right again. I'm going to go take a shower. I need to stop overthinking.”

 

Plagg rolled his eyes again, turning back to his beloved camembert.

 

Adrien got into the shower, still overthinking. Dammit, he thought.

 

He really wanted Marinette to like him. She was his partner … and he loved everything about her. Both of her sides were just amazing. He had never thought otherwise for even a single moment. But did she like both of his sides? If he told her _his_ secret, would she be disappointed? He wanted to be himself around her, and he was sick of keeping secrets, and he was also sick of being blown off and being treated differently as Adrien and as Chat Noir.

He didn't know what to do about it, though, so it was better to not worry about it. His insecurity would pass.

 

***

 

The next day, however, it didn't pass. He said hi to Marinette in the morning and she blushed and stammered and smiled giddily. Normally he would have loved that reaction, but he couldn't get over how drastically different she acted around him at school versus when they were their superhero selves.

 

Of course he did act different as Chat Noir, so different reactions made sense, but this bothered him. It's not like there was anything different about the way he said ‘hi’.

 

_“Hi, my lady,” Chat purred as Ladybug landed gracefully beside him at the place they always met at for patrol. He leaned on his staff, flashing a kittenish grin._

 

_“Hey,” said she, rolling her eyes and walking past him._

 

_He spent a second pouting before starting after her._

 

Adrien shook his head at the recollection. He _had_ said ‘hi’ in a different way; it was a bad comparison. Ladybug had been smiling as she rolled her eyes at him, it had been a playful joke. Perhaps if she flirted with Marinette as himself he'd receive a similar reaction.

 

He sat down in his seat at the front of the classroom, and as Marinette walked by him, he leaned his head on his hands, propped on his elbows, in a similar fashion as he had done to her on patrol last night. “Hi, _Marinette_ ,” he greeted, using the flirtatious tone of voice he often used as Chat Noir.

 

Marinette turned bright red, but being in the middle of class, she didn't react loudly. “Uh, hi, Adrien,” she squeaked faintly, quickly going past him and to her seat.

 

Hmm.

 

He had hoped to collect valuable data on Marinette, but he ended up accomplishing nothing, and feeling very, very awkward as Nino raised an eyebrow at him.

 

He shrugged, pretending it was nothing, but internally he felt regret. It was weird for Adrien to act like that. He shouldn't do it in public ever again. He sighed internally.

 

***

 

When the lunch bell rang that day, Adrien invited Marinette to go with him again. She accepted, and so they sat together at a café near the school.

 

Neither of them mentioned that morning, which Adrien was thankful for, but Marinette must have been thinking about it, as she was more nervous than usual. Adrien needed to make conversation. This was awkward.

 

“Marinette,” Adrien began. “What do you think of Chat Noir?”

 

He slapped himself internally. Why had he said that? He was supposed to be acting less suspicious. He needed to start thinking more before doing things. Godammit.

 

“What do I … think of Chat Noir?”

 

“Yeah, Chat Noir, I saw him outside my window last night on patrol with Ladybug.” He decided this was a good story, as they had indeed passed his house on their evening patrol the previous night. “So I was just thinking about them. I know you and Alya are big fans of Ladybug, but what about Chat Noir?”

 

“Hmm,” Marinette thought for a moment, undoubtedly planning her words. Adrien wasn’t supposed to know that her and Chat Noir were actually partners. “Well, obviously, he's cool. He's saved my life before, and well, he saves Paris all the time.”

 

It was the kind of generic answer that anybody would give.

 

“And he's an essential partner to Ladybug, in my opinion. They couldn't do it without each other.”

 

Adrien smiled. This was kind, especially coming from Ladybug herself. “I agree.”

 

“As for his personality, he's a little bit out there, sometimes,” she chuckled. “He's always flirting and talking dramatically, as if he's a character in a movie. He's kind of… extra sometimes.”

 

Adrien felt a little embarrassed at being called extra. And more than a little offended. “I think he's cool…”

 

“Well, he's an awesome superhero, no doubt,”

 

Adrien beamed.

 

“but,”

 

Adrien willed his face not to fall. There had to be a ‘but’.

 

“he seems like kind of a silly person. I wonder what he's like in his real life.”

 

Adrien found himself liking that response actually.

 

Oh, you have no idea, he thought, smiling to himself.

 

“What about you? What do you think of Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

 

“Ladybug,” he said, looking deliberately into Marinette’s eyes, “is amazing. She's incredible, absolutely incredible. She's got so much talent, and skill, and compassion. She’s creative, and funny too.  She's perfect.”

 

Adrien relished in Marinette’s blush. He could tell she was trying hard not to falter at the compliments. “A-and Chat Noir?”

 

“Hmm…”

 

He chose his next words very carefully...

 

“I like Chat Noir. He has everything I’ve always wished I could have. Given a little freedom, I think I'd be a lot more like him.” He followed up the statement with a wink.

 

Marinette seemed stunned. He hoped it was because he had just winked at her, and not because she hated the idea of him being Chat Noir.

 

Adrien went back to picking at his food.

 

Marinette eventually snapped out of it, and they carried on with lunch like normal.

 

***

 

Chat Noir yawned.

 

“Getting tired, huh, kitty?” Ladybug smiled.

 

“Mmm, perhaps. I have a hard life outside of all this superhero-ing, you know.”

 

“Eh, me too, you know,” she said, lightly shoving him.

 

Chat beamed. He liked it when Marinette was confident. She was cute as hell when she got flustered, but when she was confident, it was just irresistible. He pushed her back playfully.

 

He liked patrolling with her. There really hardly ever was any danger, so it was almost just an excuse to hang out. He doubted she saw it that way, though. Although she did seem to be enjoying herself, checking him back with her hip.

 

It could be hard to deal with Marinette’s change in personality around his two different selves sometimes, but he was starting to get used to it. He still felt a desire to do something about her opinion on this version of him, though.

 

Adrien laughed, and shoved her back again, still ever so gently.

 

Ladybug was tougher than him, though, and she ended up knocking him off balance with the next playful shove.

 

“Whoa, my lady! Strong as ever, I see,” he laughed as he regained his footing, grabbing onto her for balance. “You oughta be more careful though, ah?” He had a hand on Ladybug’s left shoulder still, and he placed his other on her right hip.

 

She brushed him off with a giggle, removing his hands. “I know you can handle it, you're just faking for an excuse to touch me.”

 

“What? Me? Faking? Well I never!” Chat exaggerated, causing Ladybug to laugh again. He beamed. “I think I might faint, I'm so offended at the accusation!” He feigned losing his balance and starting to wobble. “My lady, if you don't catch me, I'll fall to my peril and die. It'll be … a cat-astrophe!”

 

And even though she hated that joke, she was there to catch his fake swooning ass anyways. He fell backward into her arms, hand resting dramatically against his forehead.

 

“Wow,” he remarked, grinning up at her. “You're so strong. I bet you could carry me like I was your bride.”

 

“Dumb kitty,” she murmured as she let him go. This time he actually did almost fall over, and he scolded her, pouting dramatically.

 

She rolled her eyes, but she was laughing happily.

 

They carried on with their patrol, uneventful as usual, Chat Noir and Ladybug both with smiles on their faces.

 

***

 

“Another night of overthinking for Adrien,” the blond sighed to himself as he rolled over in his bed. It was 1:30, and he wished he could stop thinking about Marinette for once and get some sleep.

 

Plagg wasn't really listening to him, but he didn’t care much.

 

Tonight was less of a problem of insecurities, but more so of guilt. He now had a secret of his own to keep. The fact that he knew Marinette’s secret was his big secret now. It was hard not to say anything, when he was with her both night and day now. He wanted her to know who he was, too. But he was too afraid to reveal what he knew to her. It was a breach on her trust, for him to know. But wasn't he kind of lying to act like he didn’t know? And Marinette had a low tolerance for liars.

 

He figured she’d probably forgive him for this, realistically, but logic couldn't stop his mind from racing in the way that it was.

 

All this doubt really was bringing back the insecurities, and he hated it.

 

“Plagg, can we go for a run around? I need to clear my head.”

 

Plagg yawned. “Really? Right now? What's the matter now?”

 

“Just the usual stuff.”

 

“Alright, whatever,” Plagg sighed. “Go for it.”

 

“Thank you, Plagg!” He jumped out of bed, throwing a dramatic punch into thin air. “Transform me!”

 

Adrien liked jumping around from roof to roof, it got him some much needed fresh air, and exercise, plus he got to feel cool and awesome.

 

He ran around, no destination really in mind, but he slowed involuntarily when he realized he was near the Dupain-Cheng’s bakery.

 

He hadn't been thinking during his past few minutes of jumping around pretending to be cool, and the thoughts all came back when he stopped moving then.

 

He hadn't seen Marinette as Chat Noir in a long time. He was curious to see her reactions to him. He stood on the adjacent roof for a long time, trying to battle with the temptation of going to see Mari.

 

***

 

“You know, you should thank someone when they save you,” a cool, smooth voice was saying.

 

Marinette was conscious only of the fact that she had been falling, and then of the feeling of two strong arms grabbing her, and bringing her to safety.

 

She was pressed up against the chest of her savior, who was holding her bridal style. She didn't recognise the person yet, everything was all a blur.

 

“Hello? Are you going to say anything to me at all? I know I have a tendency to render people speechless, but...” The voice had a familiarly flirtatious intent, and possessed a certain inflection that she recognized.

 

Recognized as who?

 

As Adrien?

 

No, as Chat Noir.

 

Sure enough, she looked up, and there he was, looking down at her through his mask, grinning. There was something different about him, though. His features seemed more defined, more handsome. Under the orangeish lighting of the sunset, there was a gorgeousness about him, and she found herself becoming too warm, pressed against his chest like this.

 

“Th-thank you,” she squeaked out finally.

 

“You're very welcome, princess,” he purred, gently setting her down on her feet. His hands lingered on her for too long after she'd sorted herself out upright.

 

She gulped, staring up at him. Had he always been this tall? Surely she'd never once felt intimidated by Chat Noir before…

 

“What's the matter, _princess_?”

 

Hands were on her waist, she could feel them, intensely. Her body was hot and the touches were hypersensitive. But why? What had happened? Where was she? Why was Chat spending time flirting with her when something dangerous was probably happening?

 

None of these questions would be answered.

 

“Cat got your tongue?” Chat Noir tilted his head. His face was a little too close to hers, and she could feel the heat.

 

She willed herself to speak, but nothing came out. She shook her head.

 

“No?” His nose was brushing against hers now, and she stared up at him, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. “Would you like him to?”

 

A ridiculous line that normally, Marinette would have rolled her eyes at, but for some reason, she hummed and melted into the superhero’s touch. She was inexplicably craving the embrace, and he must have read her mind. Or just her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her somehow even closer to him, resting his hands politely on the small of her back. She placed her hands on his back as well.

 

Marinette gazed into Chat Noir’s green eyes, distorted by the mask, but still conveying his seductive expression, plain as day. She could taste his breath on her lips.

 

“Please,” she heard a voice whisper. It must have been her own, but she had no control over it. She burned with embarrassment, but made no move to stop Chat Noir.

 

Chat Noir grinned devilishly.

 

Their lips were touching, like they had when she had saved him from Dark Cupid, except now they were more than touching, a fantasy Marinette had not known she even had until just then. Marinette felt like she was falling again, then flying, and then her feet really were off the ground. Chat Noir lifted her up and pushed her up against a wall that Marinette hadn't noticed was there before.

 

She was gasping, and he was kissing, and kissing and kissing and kissing and kissing and Marinette felt hot all over. He had her pinned with some force and it was activating a bizarre feeling within her. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer still, clawing at his back with her fingernails. She could barely breathe and somehow it only added to the sensation. His body was pressed up flush against hers now and his tight suit hid no secrets. She could feel everything, everything; his lips, his tongue, his warmth, his passion, his strength, the curves of his body, his hands holding her up, his-

 

Marinette awoke with a start. Her heart was racing, her breaths were shallow and fast, her mouth was dry, and she was sweating like crazy.

 

“It was all a dream,” she breathed aloud.

 

She looked over at Tikki, asleep on her pillow.

 

She sighed, glad she hadn't disturbed her.

 

Luckily she had a water bottle over on her desk, and she took a long drink from it.

 

She pressed the cool bottle against her hot face. What on earth was all _that_ supposed to be about?

 

She needed fresh air. Careful not to wake Tikki, she gently replaced the water bottle and crept over to the trapdoor leading to the roof.

 

When she opened the trapdoor and got halfway up the steps to the roof, she nearly screamed. If _he_ hadn't have grabbed her hand, she probably would have fallen over backwards.

 

“Chat Noir!?” she whisper-yelled, retracting her hand. “What on earth do you think you're doing here!?”

 

“Uhhhhhh,” he blinked, clearly not equipped with an explanation.

 

“You scared me half to death!”

 

\---

 

Somehow, not by fault of his, Adrien had ended up on top of Marinette’s house on his clearing-my-head-of-thoughts-of-Marinette run. Pondering from the adjacent roof, he had decided on a whim that to eliminate his worries, he needed to just go do it, go and see Marinette as Chat Noir to try and see what she thought of him.

 

As soon as he got there, of course, he realized that he really didn't have a plan. It wasn't ethical or moral to just barge into Marinette's room, but how was she supposed to know he was even there if not?

 

He stood there on the balcony, tapping his foot, trying to maybe think of a plan. He'd been just about ready to leave and abandon the dumb idea, when the trapdoor had opened. He flinched initially, with fear that it might not be Marinette at all, but soon, out popped the blue head of Marinette, and she was _not_ happy to see him.

 

\---

 

“Sorry, princess.”

 

Marinette cringed at the nickname, still freshly recalling her totally uncalled for dream.

 

“Why are you on my roof at this hour?” she demanded. She wouldn't usually have been so mad at him, but it was unusual that he was here right after she’d dreamt about him. She was hating it.

 

“I was just… in the neighbourhood?” He looked guilty of something.

 

“Ugh! Chat Noir!”

 

“I know, I'm sorry, no need to yell.”

 

“It's been a while since I've seen you,” she said, after taking a deep breath to calm herself down. It was only a coincidence that he was here, nothing to worry about. “So it's a little unexpected for you to show up uninvited at my door, that's all.”

 

“Once again, I'm really sorry for scaring you, Marinette. I didn't mean to-”

 

“It's ... okay…”

 

Marinette stepped finally up into the roof and closed the door behind her.

 

“Did you come here to talk to me?”

 

“Uhh, no, no, no, I was just out for a lil nighttime stroll to clear my head. And then I…” He laughed nervously. “Yeah. I guess I kinda did. How did you know?”

 

“Intuition,” Marinette rolled her eyes.

 

She glanced over at Chat. It was weird enough that she was dreaming of him, but even weirder that he would come to see her. They should hardly know each other, in his eyes.

 

“So, what do you want to talk to me about? Is something wrong?” It didn't make any sense for Chat to be coming to _Marinette_ for advice on his problems, but her Ladybug side kicked in nonetheless.

 

When he didn't immediately respond, she thought, disturbingly: _cat got your tongue?_ She promptly bit it back, wanting to _die_.

 

“No, I just couldn't sleep.”

 

“Oh. Me, too.”

 

Chat Noir sat down on the railing, which Marinette thought was kind of dangerous, but she didn't say anything.

 

She wondered why Chat Noir would come to her when he was having trouble sleeping. Did he often go around visiting civilians while in costume? In a way, she was glad it was her, because she was his partner and wanted to be there for him, whether he knew it or not.

 

“Did you have a bad dream?” she asked.

 

“No, I just have a lot on my mind and I got frustrated with tossing and turning. Why, did you have a bad dream?”

 

“Uhh, no! Nope! Absolutely not!”

 

“Uhh… okay.”

 

“Let's just talk about your thing,” Marinette stammered, plastering on an awkward smile.

 

“Hmm, there's not much to tell, really. There's just this girl…”

 

Marinette smiled. There was another girl. She could stop immediately with this ridiculous Chat Noir fantasy. Unless maybe it was Ladybug, she quickly realized. _Oh god, it's definitely Ladybug, isn't it?_

 

“I really want her to like me. And she does like me. It's just… not all of me. She doesn't know that I'm Chat Noir. And I can't stop thinking that she won't like this side of me.”

 

She looked over at the superhero. He looked a lot.. softer, than in the dream. He wasn't quite ruggedly handsome, but he certainly was still easy on the eyes. He was undeniably pretty. She found herself subconsciously hoping he was talking about her, but he couldn't be, cause he said this girl doesn't know that he's Chat Noir, she decided.

 

“I mostly came out to shake that feeling with some fresh air, though. I'll be fine, my darling.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Oh, yes, for sure. Thank you for your concern, though, princess. It is most meaningful.”

 

“I think whoever she is, she'll like you. This side of you may be a little bit bold and boisterous, but if she's any good, she'll appreciate you for who you are, and she'll probably love your Chat Noir antics.” Marinette smiled genuinely, leaning against the railing with him. She spoke from the heart, from her own experience. She had come to find the silliness of Chat Noir to be endearing, even if she hated to admit it. Any girl would like his dorkiness, no matter how differently it might contrast to his real life self.

 

“Aww, thank you.” Chat looked over at her. He looked happy to hear that.

 

“Cheer up. You're confident, and a sweetheart. I think I can speak on behalf of all girls when I say, we love both of those things.”

 

Chat Noir looked like he might have been blushing, and Marinette beamed.

 

\---

 

Adrien prayed that Marinette couldn't see the blush creeping up on his face.

 

“Awww, you are too sweet, Marinette,” he said bashfully.

 

Her words had been incredibly pleasing to him. She had really meant them. He wondered what this meant for him. It seemed obvious now that she held a higher opinion of him than he had previously thought. He doubted she was just saying that to comfort him; it had seemed way too genuine.

 

“I feel a lot better now. You've told me everything that I needed to hear. Now what about you, my lady?”

 

He almost slapped himself in the face. _My lady_ was what he called Ladybug, he didn’t call Marinette that. It was suspicious and weird, and he bit his lip, but before he could say anything to retract the words, Marinette was responding.

 

“Nothing really, nothing. I just couldn't sleep because… I've been having weird dreams,” she said, seeming embarrassed.

 

Had she not noticed? Chat proceeded with caution.

 

“Dreams?”

 

“Uh, yeah, it's not important, really, I just like to come up here for fresh air. I'm not troubled. There's not much to talk about on my end.”

 

It seemed like he was safe now, and he thought about her words a little bit. Why was she so embarrassed about the dreams? he wondered. But he asked nothing.

 

“Well, if you say so. I’m here to talk, though, if you so desire.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

\---

 

Marinette appreciated Chat’s offer, but there was literally no way in hell she was going to tell him about her dream. Not even hypothetically, like he had, without using any names. She wasn't going to say a single word about it.

 

“I'm always here if you want to talk.”

 

“And how am I supposed to contact you?” she raised an eyebrow.

 

“Uh,” he faltered. “I'll just have to come and see you every single night, just in case!”

 

“In your dreams, kitten.”

 

He smiled. She was glad he was feeling better.

 

She found herself yawning, though.

 

“You should go to sleep, little miss.”

 

“So should you,” Marinette refuted.

 

“Touché.”

 

“But yeah, you're right. It's pretty late, and I don't know about you, but _I_ ’ve got school in the morning.”

 

Chat Noir hummed. “Good point, good point. I'll go home.”

 

She giggled. “Good night, Chat Noir.”

 

“Good night, my lady. Sweet dreams,” he purred, leaping up onto the higher point of the roof. He gave a wink and a short wave before disappearing quickly into the night.

 

“Sweet dreams,” she whispered, smiling.

 

Then she froze, mortified. Her jaw dropped.

 

“Wait, _what_!?”

 

Marinette leaned back against the railing. “What?” she repeated aloud. “Did he- He just- He said- He **WHAT**?”

 

It's a coincidence, she told herself, pressing a hand to her panicking heart. “My lady” isn't an abnormal thing for someone like Chat Noir to say to anyone, right?

 

But no, she realized. No. He had never called Marinette, or anyone else that before. It was his nickname for Ladybug, and Ladybug only.

 

“Does he know?” the voice left her lips barely a whisper. She was scared, to tell the truth. She hadn't exactly been careful, detransforming right before Chat’s eyes last week, but she had trusted him. It was kind of a punch in the gut to think that he might have betrayed her trust.

 

It added up, too, as it would explain why Chat Noir would come to her house. She was his partner, and he knew that.

 

“No, he wouldn't have…” she said aloud, hoping to believe it. She wanted to trust him. They were partners, she had to trust him. But he had to respect her, in turn.

 

She forced herself to take a deep breath. Maybe he hadn't peeked when they detransformed. Maybe his kwami had told him accidentally -- or on purpose, she had no idea what his kwami was like. Maybe he had found out some other way. Maybe he didn't know at all and it was a simple slip up of words, like when you call your teacher “mom” by accident. There were lots of possibilities.

 

“It's late,” she decided, “I need to go inside, and go to sleep. There's an explanation for this. And it doesn't matter right now. It's not a big deal.”

 

She spent a few more moments calming herself, then went back inside.

 

The ladder creaked as she climbed back down to her room, and as she set her feet down on the ground, a voice startled her.

 

“Marinette?” It was Tikki. She sounded groggy, obviously having just woken up.

 

“Tikki!”

 

“What's going on?”

 

“Nothing,” she said, but she knew that Tikki knew it was obviously something.

 

“I thought I heard talking. Who were you talking to?”

 

“Myself,” she said sheepishly. It wasn't actually a lie. She had been babbling away up there after Chat Noir’s parting.

 

“Just yourself?”

 

“And Chat Noir.”

 

“Chat Noir!?”

 

Marinette frowned, taking Tikki in her hands and going back over to the bed.

 

“Why was Chat Noir here? And why do you look upset? Is something wrong, Marinette?”

 

Marinette sighed.

 

“It's kind of a long story…”

 

She told Tikki everything, starting from the weird dream at the very beginning.

 

Tikki frowned. “So you think he knows?”

 

She nodded.

 

“Well, I'm sure he didn't peek when you guys detransformed. I can promise you that. I was watching him the whole time.”

 

“Watching him… So you do know who he is.”

 

Tikki nodded.

 

Marinette huffed. So his kwami probably told him.

 

“I'm sure there's an explanation for this, and you can ask him about it next time you see him, okay? For now, you need to get some sleep. It's very late. I promise you it will be okay, no matter what happens.”

 

“Okay. You're right. Thank you, Tikki.”

 

Tikki smiled sadly. Marinette looked tired and distressed. She booped her on the nose, “It'll be okay, I said.”

 

“Okay, okay,” Marinette smiled. Finally, she settled into bed. Tikki snuggled up beside her.

 

“It'll be okay.”

 

***

 

“Good evening, my lady!” greeted Chat Noir as they arrived for their patrol the next night.

 

Marinette knew that she looked tired as hell from being up so late the previous night, but oddly, Chat Noir made no funny comments on it. She furrowed her brow. This furthered her suspicions.

 

“Chat Noir,” she nodded back.

 

They set out to patrol, Marinette falling behind Chat a little, so he wouldn't see her face. It was hard to hide her expression. She felt kind of angry with him. She didn't know how to bring it up without making too big of a deal about it. And also, what if he didn't really know? Then by bringing it up at all, she’d pretty much reveal herself. Not to mention make a fool of herself.

 

Chat Noir whistled quietly as they walked.

 

She said nothing. She was fighting a battle with her inner thoughts. Chat Noir wasn't guilty of anything, Tikki had told her. _Chat Noir is a good guy and there's definitely an explanation for this_ vs. _he lied, he knows, and he's keeping it a secret from me, like an asshole._ She was aware that this side of her was irrational, but she was struggling to fight it.

 

Chat Noir paused after a while, turning around to face her. He looked as though he had planned to make a joke or a punny comment, but he stopped upon getting a look at her stern face. “Ladybug?”

 

Somehow, his concern only made her more angry. “What?”

 

“Is something up?”

 

She could see from Chat Noir’s expression that lying wasn't going to fool him. He knew she was upset about something. He knew what he had done. He was guilty, and he’d been caught red-handed, and he knew.

 

“Yeah, actually…” She couldn't stop the anger in her voice, try as she might. “Chat Noir,” she accused. “Did you lie to me?”

 

“What?”

 

“You lied to me. How else would you know who I am?”

 

“Ladybug, I don't know what you're talking about…”

 

“Yeah you do!”

 

Chat Noir recoiled as she yelled at him, his kitty ears drooping. “I-I don't-”

 

“You lied!” She found her anger taking over. “You looked at me when I detransformed! I told you not to and you did it anyways!” She knew that Tikki had said this wasn't true, but she couldn't stop herself from being mad now that she'd started.

 

Chat Noir looked upset. “My lady, no, I-” he stammered. “It's not like that. I didn't look. I do know, but I didn't look. I promise.” He held a hand over his heart, and looked down at her with guilty, pleading eyes.

 

\---

 

“Okay…” Marinette seemed to be calming down finally. Adrien felt miserable from hearing his partner berate him. He'd never seen her angry at him before, and he didn't hope to see it ever again. He had suspected she would be mad when she found out, but he still hadn't been prepared to really face her wrath.

 

“How do you know then?” she asked slowly.

 

“I just figured it out one day. Honest. I know it doesn't sound believable, but it's true. I was trying so hard not to find out. My kwami kept trying to tell me, and I told him off every time. I didn't want to know until you told me yourself. I respect you. Infinitely. I'm sorry for making you feel disrespected. I don't want that at all.”

 

Marinette was stunned. “What do you mean, you ... figured it out?”

 

“I was together with you for lunch one day, and it just sort of clicked in my head. I know Ladybug too well to miss her when she's sitting, unmasked, right before my eyes. I didn't want to know. I really, really didn't. I wasn't trying to find out. And I felt awful about it, that's why I didn't tell you.” He was being honest, and he prayed that Marinette believed him.

 

To his relief, she didn't argue with him, or insult him, or accuse him of lying.

 

“For lunch?” she asked instead, sounding serious.

 

“I- uh,” he stammered, realizing that there was really no explaining that without revealing his own identity. He sighed. There was no point in avoiding it, he supposed. It was hardly fair if he knew her secret and he didn't give her his own.

 

\---

 

“We're in the same class,” said Chat Noir.

 

The same class? How many blond boys were there in Marinette's class? She found herself drawing a blank. Only one came to mind.

 

And he mentioned that they went for lunch together, and that meant...

 

She gasped.

 

“Adrien?”

 

\---

 

Adrien wasn't sure what to say. Marinette looked very surprised. He couldn't tell whether this was positive or negative. His breath hitched in the back of his throat. He nodded slightly.

 

What Marinette said next was incredibly peculiar.

 

“Last night, on the balcony…” She sounded breathless. “...were you talking about me?”

 

He could feel his face reddening from behind his mask. “Uhh…”

 

He didn't know what the right answer was. Yes? No? It all came down to whether or not she wanted it to be or not. And he really couldn't tell.

 

He inhaled sharply. With Ladybug, honestly was the best policy, he decided.

 

“Yes…” he muttered. He found himself shying her gaze. Why? He wasn't shy. Especially not with this girl. He flirted with her daily, and with reckless abandon. Why was he clamming up now all of a sudden?

 

Her blush was intense, but Adrien was sure he was in a similar state.

 

Then she reached out and touched him, she _touched_ him, a gentle hand on his cheek.

 

Adrien swallowed, throat dry and hot. He stared at her. He was speechless. He didn't know what to say, or even what to make of her reaction at all.

 

“My lady…”

 

There were two hands now. Adrien didn't know what to do with his. He was blushing and fumbling and _dammit_ , all in his Chat Noir costume. Normally being masked gave him a rush, a surge of confidence, but now that he had been exposed, and was being (oh so gently) manhandled by Ladybug, _his_ Ladybug, he was kind of acting like a fish out of water. He didn't know what to say. His mouth opened, then closed again, and opened again, then closed again. The fish simile was confirmedly accurate.

 

Marinette was looking a little bit starstruck herself, but she somehow was persevering. Perhaps Adrien being masked up gave her a spot of confidence, too.

 

“I love you,” she whispered, breathless. “I love every part of you, both your sides.”

 

The words sent goosebumps all along Adrien’s skin. _I love you, I love you_ , it was everything he had ever wanted to hear and somehow more. She had been mad at him mere moments ago, and now, _I love you_. It felt like a dream.

 

Their faces were so close together, and he could feel Marinette’s breath on his face. He was still flopping around uselessly. He tried telepathically willing her to bridge the gap between his lips and hers. It didn't work. She just gazed at him, blue eyes wide and full of … something. He wasn't quite so sure what to read it as yet.

 

He swallowed nervously. She obviously must have noticed, but she didn't say anything. She just kept looking at him, expectant. This was it.

 

His gaze flickered deliberately to her lips, then to her blue eyes once again.

 

“Aren't you going to kiss me?” Adrien requested softly.

 

Without further hesitation, Marinette’s lips were on his. His eyes widened.

 

She pulled away almost as quickly as she’d pushed forward, a huge blush on her face. She retracted her hands as well. Adrien caught one of them in his own. He squeezed it before letting it go.

 

“You're not mad at me anymore?”

 

“No, no, I'm happy with the way this is all turning out.”

 

“I'm sorry for not telling you.” Adrien still felt obligated to apologize despite what she said. “I would have, but I was scared of you reacting … the way you did.”

 

When Marinette looked guilty, Adrien corrected himself: “No, it's okay, like you said, I'm happy with the way it's turning out, too.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Yes, Marinette.”

 

She smiled when he called her by name. He was glad.

 

“And I was scared, too, that you wouldn't be happy to know my secret. I wanted to tell you, but I was … insecure, as well as worrying you’d be upset at me.”

 

\---

 

 _Insecure_.

 

Marinette thought back to last night, on the balcony with Chat. He had mentioned being insecure about what she might think of him, specifically of his superhero side. She had encouraged him, from the bottom of her heart.

 

“You still thought that I wouldn't like you?”

 

He was visibly embarrassed. “It's … easy to get really worked up in your head about little things.”

 

“I meant everything that I said about you last night.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“I didn't know you were talking about me, but I was talking about me.”

 

“You liked Chat Noir?” asked Adrien, hesitantly. “Even before you knew I was Adrien?”

 

He knew that she liked Adrien? That stung a little bit with the embarrassment, but she made no mention of it.

 

“I wasn't even sure until last night.”

 

“What about last night?”

 

“I…” She was embarrassed, but she knew she had to tell him. “I had a dream about you…”

 

\---

 

A dream?

 

Adrien recalled the previous night, and the way Marinette had acted strangely when he asked her if she'd had a bad dream. It should've been obvious.

 

“About me?” he prompted.

 

“About Chat Noir.”

 

He perked up at that, unable to contain the smile spreading across his face. “Oh?”

 

Marinette looked down, fidgeting uncomfortably. She was clearly very embarrassed about the dream, and Adrien wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but he was leaning heavily towards it being a _very_ good thing.

 

“You don't really have to tell me, if you don't want to, I understand,” he assured her. “I've had plenty of dreams about you, too.”

 

“You have?”

 

….maybe he shouldn’t’ve said that.

 

“Like what?” she was saying.

 

“Just like, about, y’know, us…”

 

“Ladybug, or Marinette?”

 

He met her eyes. “Both.”

 

She looked both surprised and excited. “Really?”

 

“Yes.”

 

No more was said about dreams. Ladybug took Chat Noir’s hand in hers. It felt sort of weird between the fabrics of their super suits. But he was loving it. He loved when she was confident, and was looking forward to getting close to her like this, so she could start to act this way around Adrien, too.

 

She hadn't said much about his reveal yet, and he was still curious to know more about how she felt. She made it clear that she had liked Chat Noir already, which warmed his heart.

 

He decided it was his turn to affirm her, though. “I love you, Buginette.”

 

Adrien laughed a little as the girl turned red as her suit.

 

“I always have loved you,” he continued.

 

She squeezed his hand. “Sorry to keep you waiting so long, kitten.”

 

“Nope, don't be. I'm happy with the way this is now. I wouldn't want anything different.”

 

He let go of her hand and wrapped both of his arms around her in a big, warm hug. He could feel her heart beating quickly up against him. He held her for a while, not wanting to let go. All of the stress and worries that had been burdening him for the past couple weeks had dissipated into thin air. He felt lighter, light enough that Marinette could have picked him up and held him over her head.

 

When the hug finally had to end, Adrien found himself yawning.

 

“It is late,” Marinette agreed. “Did you study for that bio quiz tomorrow?”

 

“Oh shit, no.”

 

“Haha, we should probably go our separate ways, and head to bed. I don't think there's anything going down in Paris right now.”

 

“Yeah…” he sighed. He didn't want to go home, he was having a really good time. But they saw each other every day, it wasn't like it was a big deal. “You're right. It is late, and we already stayed up late last night. So we should be getting going.”

 

“Okay… I'll see you tomorrow?” she said, as if it was a question.

 

“Naturally, my lady.”

 

He leant down and kissed her on the hand.

 

“Goodnight, now,” he smiled up at her, “Ladybug.”

 

“Good night … Chat Noir.”

 

And the two went their separate ways.

 

They'd see each other in the morning, anyways.


End file.
